crappy parts experiences

So I'm just being introduced to the new world of crappy parts. In the past, most of my vehicles have been Toyotas, which in my experience has meant "change the fluids and filters regularly, do the timing belts on schedule, put on brake pads and shocks, repeat, no problems for 200,000+ miles". Now, however, my Jeep Liberty (which was a great vehicle for the first 100K) has needed several repairs, and my experience with two different, well-regarded shops has been eye-opening. After three power steering pumps (finally got one that worked longer than 2 weeks), three front drive shafts (hope the one they put on this week works), two front CV joints (second one seems OK after 2 weeks) and long discussions with the shop owners, they say they are experiencing terrible quality control across the board, mostly with Chinese-manufactured parts, and that this has crept into Dealer OE parts as well as the respected name brands.

so what are your experiences with this - big problem getting worse, excuses from my shops, or what? Don't need long tirades, but comments of your experiences and especially guys and gals working in the industry would be enlightening. I'm a guy who routinely plans on keeping cars 200K or so, but if the repair parts are going to be lousy stopgaps at best in the future, will we have to rethink?

I don't know, but the $500+ steering rack in SWMBO's GP has gone out again, and even though the respectable name brand will stand behind it, I'm out another $350+ in labor and will just have another crappy rebuilt item to show for it. Cheap parts suck and they are definitely sneaking into the "good" stuff.

In reply to Jim Pettengill:

In my experience, most parts store parts are for emergency repairs only. They will usually cost you more then they seem to save you. The worst seem to be cv joints, alternators, starters, and anything that can leak. I've had much better luck with used junkyard parts then "new" parts store parts.

I try to buy OEM, or the better names for things like gaskets and filters, off rock auto whenever I can.

I've noticed even things like MOOG suspension parts are getting iffy, had a set of control arm bushings separate in 2 years.

I worked in the auto repair industry and deal with this all day. Worked for a handful of different shops and they all did things slightly differently and used different sources for parts, but one thing was the same, techs ALWAYS complained about parts quality.

BUT most of the claims were unfounded and stemmed from misdiagnosis, incomplete repairs, ordering wrong parts, installer error, lack of skills, or anecdotal experience from back in the day or from my a second cousin's husband's brother.

Also you have to realize when something is REALLY cheap like surprisingly cheap (relative to other "comparable" parts) it is probably complete E36 M3, but most stuff is okay.

I have seen some bad parts in the steering/suspension category but isnt even that common, remember an 11 dollar ball joint probably wont stand up to the abuses our demographic will throw at it.

I have a modified LT1, with the much hated Opti distributor. Everyone claims they are junk, the factory ones dont last and aftermarket is worse, well I spin an A1 cardone reman opti to 7K RPM everyday, and the only failures Ive had were caused by me (cracking the rotor and running it anyway, because racecare, not loctiteing the rotor screws, and leaving a vent line off allowing it to fill the distributor with water). Really once I got one properly installed its been pretty reliable, which the internet says is impossible especially given the rpm.

I also have a cheap reman alt that has like 80K miles on it.

Ive never had any issues with moog, infact every suspension bushing (except sway bushings) and ball joint on my car is moog, and had no issues with install or durability.

I run and have no problem with parts store stuff. Although It seems in recent years some OEMs have come down in pricing, Ive been sur[prised to find many times OE is less expensive than aftermarket, I do always check just in case, it seems OE parts are either WAY more or completely reasonable.

i'm the kind of a person that prefers a good used part to a cheap parts store replacement... i've rebuilt PS pumps and the hydraboost unit in my T Type... i've pieced together a good alternator or starter from 2 or more that i've got laying around.. but whenever i do need to buy something from a parts store, i never get the cheapest or the most expensive option and i've never had to bring back a defective starter or alternator.

The trick with starters and alternators if you must buy parts store house brand stuff is to have them tested before leaving the store.

When I was fixing my brother's 97 Civic, we had a hell of a time finding an ignition module that wasn't bad off the shelf. It had to have been a bad batch issue, as every BWD branded or rebox of that module was bad, and we tested around a dozen of them before I gave up and ordered a Richporter distributor and called it a day.

Store brand GM wheel bearings all suck. The front hub bearings in the Malibu went at about 100k. Picked up new ones at Advance, the "better" ones that they had. One made it to 16k, the other to 40k. The 16k one I got replace, and the store was great about it basically saying they could keep swapping them out but I really didn't want to do this regularly. The next set were from NAPA. They made it to about 50k. When they went I went down there for another set and they said I installed them wrong even though I used the nut they supplied and their revised nut torque specs. I got another set there and they also died at about 50k. I bought the next set from the Chevy dealer for almost twice what NAPA charged and so far I have 90k on them.

ive found the way to go is to find an aftermarket parts supplier that specializes in the brand vehicle. they live and die by repeat customers, brand euthusists and referrals, and in turn rely on the stuff that they carry not being E36M3.

that or using Worldpac which is like a higher end commerical rockauto

In reply to Jim Pettengill: For my F150, I bought brake discs complete with wheel studs from Rock Auto. The studs started breaking the second time I torqued them, but they had been clearance items with 30 day warranty, and it was past 30 days, so Rock Auto declined to offer any help. I guess I can see why they would be clearing out that brand, but it seems like there is a lot of liability in selling defective wheel studs. I replaced all the studs with new ones from Advance and they have been fine.

I still can't seem to find decent dust caps for the F150's front wheel bearings, just plain old metal caps for the No. 1 best selling vehicle in America. Everyone seems to sell Dorman, which used to be a good brand, but on their dust caps from China, the tapered fit area isn't shaped quite right so they are nearly impossible to tap into place. It doesn't seem like it would warrant a trip to the salvage yard, but maybe that is the answer.

Shop owner here: Power steering rebuilds, whether pump, rack or box, are all garbage. I will find used whenever possible.

Axles are getting better.

Electronics come from the dealer, or in a dealer box. I refuse to install an ignition module that doesn't come from a dealer or equivalent.

Suspension parts come from the continent where the car was built. Moog is ok on American stuff, but sucks on Euro or Japanese, and so on.

Brakes are often OE for imports. Pads for sure- OE price is often within a few percent of aftermarket stuff.

Poor quality parts are the single greatest aggravation for a shop owner.

This is why I like the Korean cars. No one makes "cheap parts" for them on the stuff that fails, so the store brands are literally rebranded OEM parts (still have the Hy/Kia stamps and part numbers). So you get OEM parts at half price.

As for the cars that we work on here in the shop.... well, OEM parts still seem to be the best, even though Hondar can't seem to build a P/S system that works quietly. Almost every aftermarket part we seem to put on is a pain in the ass and typically causes nothing but headaches.

Wally wrote: Store brand GM wheel bearings all suck. The front hub bearings in the Malibu went at about 100k. Picked up new ones at Advance, the "better" ones that they had. One made it to 16k, the other to 40k. The 16k one I got replace, and the store was great about it basically saying they could keep swapping them out but I really didn't want to do this regularly. The next set were from NAPA. They made it to about 50k. When they went I went down there for another set and they said I installed them wrong even though I used the nut they supplied and their revised nut torque specs. I got another set there and they also died at about 50k. I bought the next set from the Chevy dealer for almost twice what NAPA charged and so far I have 90k on them.

Moog hub assemblies are repackaged Iljen parts. GM sources hub assemblies almost exclusively from Iljen. The parts sold to the aftermarket aren't manufactured differently than OEM or OES parts.

There is a ton of cheap, crappy auto parts in the aftermarket. However, the majority of defective parts returns comes from:

Opti wrote: ... misdiagnosis, incomplete repairs, ordering wrong parts, installer error, lack of skills...

I have 25 years of aftermarket auto parts experience, from the store level to the HQ level, including manufacturers selling to discounters, jobbers, OEM and OES.

I remember a few years ago when I was big into Fiats, the front ball joints that were being made for the 124 were the absolute worst E36 M3 imaginable. It was all up and down the forums. I had one replacement ball joint last a summer, and when it fell apart, it went in -FOUR- pieces. The Ball separated from the stud and the two case halves fell apart.

E36 M3ty parts are nothing new, it is just that it is now creeping into mainstream cars

I've long seen junk in the aftermarket. Been there for about as long as anyone has been making parts for cars. I would say it has shifted somewhat in the past 20 years, with previously good names (like NAPA) selling trash just to have cheap stuff too.

And that's the key, cheap. If a standard quality part costs $2,000 normally, and you find it for $350, don't expect it to be very good.

Over the years now, I've found myself going oem more than I used too. Helps that many of the oem parts have come down in price. Some are obnoxiously expensive, but tend to simply work right.

MX6 has been through 5 alternators, 3 starters, and 4 radiators since i've bought it.

Because crappy piece of E36 M3 parts.

Unfortunately, in the case of the radiator, it's all that's available.

The starters and alternators are obnoxiously expensive from the dealer, so berkeley that.

So now... lifetime replacement parts. Means i'll be replacing them for a lifetime.

In reply to Kramer:

None of the bearings were necessarily defective, but they certainly did not last as long as the oem.

When I want a starter or alternator, I take them to the Automotive Electrical place my old boss uses. They rebuild 95% of their stuff and they last. Plus if it's something special (say like a Corvair starter), they will rebuild it, because they won't have a rebuilt unit on the shelf.

I have however gone through a couple of water pumps from Auto Zone for the Durango. The second one has lasted a lot longer than the first one I replaced.

The only thing I cheap out on really is Brakes for the DDs. They are an abused wear item and I don't feel the need to spend a lot of money on them. They last a few years anyways.

I had trouble with replacement GM wheel bearings and lower control arm assemblies. I don't know the brand the shop used, but I'm pretty sure they were white box generic China parts (I had part numbers but they seemed to be universal). Both the bearings and LCAs seemed to be going bad again less than a year/12,000 miles later. Luckily (I guess) the transmission failed before the rest and I got rid of the car.

Just installed a chinese remanufactured alternator last night, we'll see how she holds up.

Scantech = ScanE36 M3

I re-redid my front suspension after less than 20K miles and the new-aftermarket upper spring seats were separating from the bushings. When removing the strut assembly one of the strut bearings literally came apart. They were replaced with OEM or better. The stuff that wore out/broke quickly were at least 1/3 the price of OEM, but I had to do it again spend more time/money less than 2 years later.

I bought good used headlight assemblies off of another forum, because I hate the out-put/limited adjustment of the aftermarket one I bought, and it's not even a year old yet. Yep, it's Scantech too.

If you can figure out who makes the parts for the manufacturer, and order the same part elsewhere you can save a lot of money and still get the OEM quality part, because it is OEM. In the Volvo world, it's Bosh electronics, and Lemforder bushings/suspension components. Those parts are a lot cheaper when they don't show up in that blue Volvo box.

Don't get me started on Autozone's DuraE36 M3 batteries either.

• Lee

I try to use local rebuild places. It cost me 48.00 to rebuild my lt1 starter with a 12month warenttee. Chain store wanted 225. As long as it has their sticker on it the will stand by it no matter who owns it. The please is called Mac's auto electric in Crowfordsville IN. Great people to deal with.

bigdaddylee82 wrote: Scantech = ScanE36 M3 I re-redid my front suspension after less than 20K miles and the new-aftermarket upper spring seats were separating from the bushings. When removing the strut assembly one of the strut bearings literally came apart. They were replaced with OEM or better. The stuff that wore out/broke quickly were at least 1/3 the price of OEM, but I had to do it again spend more time/money less than 2 years later. I bought good used headlight assemblies off of another forum, because I hate the out-put/limited adjustment of the aftermarket one I bought, and it's not even a year old yet. Yep, it's Scantech too. If you can figure out who makes the parts for the manufacturer, and order the same part elsewhere you can save a lot of money and still get the OEM quality part, because it is OEM. In the Volvo world, it's Bosh electronics, and Lemforder bushings/suspension components. Those parts are a lot cheaper when they don't show up in that blue Volvo box. Don't get me started on Autozone's DuraE36 M3 batteries either. - Lee

My duralast battery was 7 yrs old when I killed it, never gave me any issues til I drained it completely by leaving the key on for a day, and the fact that it would reliably hold a charge after that didnt surprise me given the age.

There are only a handful of auto battery manufactures, Johnson control and exide are the two big ones. JCI makes most of the stuff you find at the parts houses, including interstate, duralast, optima, NTBs service something, sears and walmart stuff last I checked.

Always had way better luck with JCIs stuff than Exides.

Completely agree with finding OE stuff from the original manufacturer though. a good example is valeo, they are a huge OE manufacturer for clutches/pressure plates. IIRC they are the OEM for Gallardo pressure plates. Alot of the parts houses clutch kits use valeo parts. The OEM for the LT1 pressure plate is valeo and pretty much all the readily available clutch kits for the LT1s use a valeo pp (except AZ's which actually has a higher clamping force) even spec uses a valeo pp. So all these cheap 150 clutch kits (that must be crap) for camaros are actually at least partly comprised of OE parts.

Last I checked duralast hubs/wheel bearing were SKF (at least the fitments Ive messed with) who is a huge OE supplier also, and the road course fbody guys are having good luck with them.

Many times the price you pay for the "good" parts is mostly margin, the biggest extreme I can think of is the Ferrari 355 fuel pressure regulator. its like 1200 from Ricambi (an OE ferrari part distributor known for its reasonable prices) but if you walk into a parts house and buy a bosch regulator off a certain year corolla for 180 your getting the EXACT SAME PART, literally bosch manufacturers the OE ferrari part.

There is nothing wrong with the vast majority of parts house parts, and most of them are manufactured by a reputable manufacturer and rebranded.

The last few times ive called the dealer for an OE starter, alt, gearbox etc, even the dealer can only get reman parts, had it happen at GM and toyota. Do you really think GM is remanning starters or someone like A1 cardone is.

stan_d wrote: I try to use local rebuild places. It cost me 48.00 to rebuild my lt1 starter with a 12month warenttee. Chain store wanted 225. As long as it has their sticker on it the will stand by it no matter who owns it. The please is called Mac's auto electric in Crowfordsville IN. Great people to deal with.

This I do the same when my parts arent readily available. Used local rebuilders for starters, alts and axles in the past with good results, until I discovered that this stuff is easy to rebuild at the house and most of the rebuilders will gladly sell you the same parts they use.